Birthday Girl
by Septembernow
Summary: AU. Raven Roth wakes up one morning to find mysterious glowing symbols all over her body. She hires Detective Gray to find out what's happening to her- and how to stop it before it's too late.
1. Chapter 1

AU. Raven Roth wakes up one morning to find mysterious glowing symbols all over her body. She hires Detective Gray to find out what's happening to her- and how to stop it before it's too late.

Please read and review!

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"The satanic cult called Trigon's Choosen shook the nation when they killed a group of school children last month-" a news reporter droned on as Raven readied herself for work. She blocked out the rest of the news, it looks like they were just rehashing the same old story. The local station hit paydirt with this local satanic cult activity last month; the news went national for a few days and the channel reaped the benefits. It looked like now they'd do anything to get the viewers back.

Raven shut the television off with a click of the remote and left for work.

Raven Roth had a perfect life.

She had a great apartment on the nice side of town, with a pleasant view and comfortable wardrobe. A new electric car she paid for in cash sat in the covered spot reserved for her in the apartment parking lot. Her boyfriend was successful, attractive, and doting, and he loved her. Just last week she was promoted to senior editor at the small publishing company where she worked. And, not to mention, today was her birthday. Her 25th birthday, to be exact.

Work was wonderful. Her office did the traditional cake and ice cream to celebrate. Her boss had also given her the rest of the day off before he left the office himself, as he often left early on Fridays. Raven smiled on the whole ride home, happy to have a little time to herself before Jason got home. She wondered what restaurant he'd picked to celebrate.

She felt a strange wave a foreboding as she entered her apartment. Her senses told her that she wasn't the only one in the apartment. She quickly flipped the light switch.

"SURPRISE!" Several people popped out from behind her living room furniture. Raven recognized Arthur, her boss, several work friends, a few authors she had published, and a few of Jason's friends. Her boyfriend Jason skipped forward.

"Happy birthday baby," Jason said. He kissed her on the cheek.

"Oh, Jason, you shouldn't have." Raven said. She blushed at all the attention.

"Of course I should," Jason winked.

Raven mingled throughout the evening, managing to network while enjoying the evening. She finally managed to make her way to the kitchen. Jason ordered catering from her favorite restaurant, but she found she had been unable to eat thus far because of all the well-wishers. She ate quickly, knowing she'd likely be drawn back to the party soon.

Jason's head appeared around the corner. "Time to sing Happy Birthday," he said, smiling.

"Be right there," Raven replied. She grabbed a napkin and cleaned up a bit before heading into the dining room.

The guests crowded around the end unoccupied by a pink cake with a 2 and a 5 candle. They smiled at her as she took her seat.

 _"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Raven, happy birthday to you,"_ they sang.

Raven leaned forward and breathed in, thinking of what she would wish for. Nothing came to mind. She had everything she could want. She smiled. What a perfect birthday. What a perfect life.

As she blew the candles out, her skin seared in total agony. Raven screamed and quickly looked down at her hands. Strange red symbols littered her skin. She pushed the fabric of her blazer back, revealing more symbols. She screamed louder. The pain wasn't subsiding. If anything, it was getting worse. Her guests gasped and a few screamed, several hands were cupped to mouths in shock and horror.

"Raven? Raven!" Jason shouted, grabbing her hands and pulling her sleeves up.

And, just as suddenly as the pain had come, it had gone. But the glowing symbols remained.

* * *

"I'm sorry about your birthday." Jason said.

"It's okay," Raven replied. "I just wish I knew what was going on!" She said, frustrated.

The party guests had all left shortly after the incident. No one knew what to say. A few asked if she was alright. Her boss said she could work from home as long as she liked, until she figured out her eczema problem, or whatever it was.

"Are you gonna be okay? I don't have to go. I can totally stay here if you need me," he said.

She shook her head. Jason was a highly-demanded bodyguard. He needed to stay in shape, to prevent being injured on the job.

"I'll just browse the web and try to figure this out," she said, gesturing to the laptop resting on the coffee table before her.

Jason hesitated. "I used to work with this one guy… He's the best detective I ever knew," Jason said. He frowned. "But he won't leave Gotham."

"Hmm," Raven pondered. She peered down at the still-glowing glyphs and symbols on her body. "Maybe it's worth a trip…" she trailed off. This certainly didn't look like something that could wait.

Jason waved the notion away. "Nah, don't bother. He has an apprentice, like an intern, that just moved and set up shop here. He's just as good." Jason said.

"Oh," replied Raven. She perked up considerably. "Why didn't you say so earlier?"

Jason shrugged. "I don't really like the guy," he said. "But he's the best, and you deserve the best." He smiled and drew Raven in for a kiss.

"Thanks." She said. Jason reached for grocery list pad next to her laptop and scribbled something. He handed it to her.

"Love you baby." Jason said as he kissed her forehead. "See you later." He picked his gym bag off the floor and headed for the door. Raven knew he'd be gone the rest of the night. His training sessions lasted hours and hours, sometimes he wasn't back by the time she left for work the next morning.

"See you," she mumbled.

Raven fingered the edge of the crinkled slip of torn paper. 555-8618. Robin Gray.

She sighed and picked up the phone.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Robin's POV

Robin Gray pushed the small couch he purchased a little under an hour ago into his new office. _Thank god that's the last of it,_ he thought. It had taken a lot longer to move this stuff from Gotham than he thought. He picked up his empty briefcase and opened the door.

The phone rang.

Robin stared at it for a second in shock. It was, after all, his first day in this city. It rang again and Robin lunged for it, in a state of disbelief that he might actually have a client on Day One.

"Detective Gray?" The woman asked. Her voice was flat, a monotone with no girlish lift. He liked it.

"Yes, may I ask who is calling?" Robin responded. He cursed the cheap landline phone, he should have gotten one with Caller ID.

"Raven Roth. I, uh, have a unique problem." She said.

Robin sat up straight. "I specialize in unique problems, Ms. Roth. What's the case?" He fiddled with the crumbling eraser on the end of his pencil.

"Um, well, I'm not really sure how to say it… You're not really going to believe me, I can't believe I've called-"

"Would you be more comfortable coming to my office? Rest assured, Ms. Roth, I'll hear any case."

"That would be lovely," she replied. "What's the address?"

"7205 West Main Street, third floor, office 207. Next to the NovelTEAS coffee shop."

"I'll be there in 20 minutes." She said, her voice set with determination.

After saying goodbye to Ms. Roth, Robin looked around the office and frantically cleaned, knowing his cleaning would be in vain. He glared at the unpacked boxes. _Of all the days, why today_ , he thought. Maybe he could catch her at the door and she wouldn't be able to judge his work based on his currently messy office.

Raven showed up precisely when she said she would, almost exactly 20 minutes later. Robin smiled at her punctuality. 20 minutes had been just enough time to shove most of the unpacked boxes in the closet. As long as she didn't open that, he'd be fine.

She was a gray-skinned woman with purple hair, something he didn't see very often. She wore black kitten heels and black trousers. A silver silk blouse peaked out from under her blazer. He liked her look.

"So, Ms. Roth, what can I help you with?" He asked.

Raven stayed silent as she unbuttoned her blazer. Robin raised an eyebrow at this action until he saw the glowing red marks up and down her arms. She moved her hair out of the way and he saw there was a mark on her forehead, too.

"Oh, wow…" he said. "May I?" He asked. His hand hovered above her arm.

"Sure," she replied.

He gently prodded one of the marks just above her elbow. It seemed exactly like her skin, save that it was red and glowing. "Does that hurt?" He asked.

"No, not at all," she said. "They hurt when they first appeared, but now they don't hurt at all."

"Hmm," Robin pondered. "I've never seen anything like this." He said.

Raven looked sad. "So there's nothing you can do?" She asked.

"I didn't say that. Let's start with you. Who are you? What do you do for a living?" He asked. He gestured to the loveseat he had moved earlier.

Raven sat on the edge, seemingly unwilling to stay long.

"I work at a publishing company. I was made senior editor a week ago." She said.

"Any competition for that job?" Robin asked.

Raven shook her head. "Not really. It's a small company."

"Where are you from?" He asked.

Raven looked away for a moment before answering. "Here…" She trailed off, hesitant. "But, also not here. I was home schooled by my very strict mother. I was never allowed to leave the house. I only really got freedom when I went to college." She said.

"Where'd you go?" Robin continued.

"Jump City Uni." Raven replied. "I graduated two years ago, and was hired by my company shortly after."

"I think we should start with your mother," Robin answered. "It might be that your mom hasn't told you everything, especially if she were particularly overprotective. If that's a dead end, we'll question classmates, coworkers, ect. Do you have a significant other?" He asked.

"Jason. Jason Todd." She said with a smile. "He would never hurt me. He's the one who gave me your number." She amended.

Robin's smile quickly faded. He hadn't spoken to Jason Todd in years.

"Robin?" Raven asked. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, of course," Robin replied. "I'm just surprised, is all. Jason and I aren't exactly friends, you know?" Robin bit his tongue. He said too much. He hoped he hadn't lost her business. She was just too easy to talk to.

"He said that. But he also said you were the best." Raven replied professionally.

Robin's cheeks warmed slightly. High praise, coming from Jason.

"Is your mother in town? Can we meet her tonight?" He asked.

"Sure," Raven replied. "I'll call her now."

"Of course." Robin said. "I'll step out to give you some privacy."

Robin stepped out into the office hallway. He used the time to check his messages. There was a text from a number he didn't recognize.

 _Gave my girl your office number. Don't mess up._ Robin saved the number under "Asshole." He did a quick google search of Raven Roth and found that all of her info matched up with what she said. That was a first. _A genuinely innocent person is looking for help,_ Robin thought.

Raven opened the door and stepped aside so he could come in. "We can head over now, if you want."

"Sure," Robin replied.

"Let's take my car," Raven offered. Robin was glad; he normally took the bus to work.

Robin held the door open while Raven brushed past him. They remained silent, but comfortable, on the elevator ride down. As they stepped outside, Robin offered Raven his coat. The air was slightly chilly. Robin looked up to the sky and knew the sun set at least a half hour ago. She politely rejected- her car had heated seats, she explained.

When they turned the corner, Robin immediately noticed a man leaning against what he assumed was Raven's car. He turned to Raven. Her face was confused, she obviously had no idea who the man was.

"Happy birthday," the man said. He wore a hood and the dim lighting hid his face.

"Can I help you?" Raven asked in a serious manner. Robin angled himself so that she was slightly behind him. He could easily get her out of harm's way if push came to shove.

The man stepped forward. "Get out of the way, little bird. She's the one I want." He said. In the light of the streetlamp, Robin could see he wore a mask and his face was half black and half orange.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Sorry it's taking me a while to update, I have two jobs and write when I have a free moment. :D

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Chapter Three

Robin's POV

 _Shit_ , Robin thought as he pushed Raven roughly away dodged Slade's uppercut punch. He heard her fall roughly to her knees, or perhaps on her back. It didn't matter. As long as she was safe.

Cold fear leeched through Robin. _This isn't going to go well,_ he thought. _I could never beat Slade._ He thought back to his time with Batman, and the one time he took Slade on his own. It did not end well for Robin. He awoke in the hospital wing of Bruce's manor a week later. It took him the better part of a year of gruelling physical therapy just for him to walk again. Two years later, he left Batman for Jump City to start his own detective work. He would focus on the actual case and not the vigilantism, he told himself. He'd get his clients _legal_ justice.

He reached for the retractable stick baton he always kept on his person, just in case- _where was it?_ Where was it!? An image flashed in his mind; he had left it on his desk while he shoved boxes into his office closet earlier that day. _Great_ , he thought. _I'm going to die and Raven's going to die because I'm trying to impress girls._

Robin dodged another attack, this time a low kick. Slade quickly rotated around to punch him again, which Robin barely seemed to dodge. This was a fight he was going to lose.

Robin quickly sidestepped Slade to leap for the trash cans behind him. He heard Slade grunt with the effort of twisting around so suddenly. Slade might have raw power, but at least Robin had better agility. Robin grabbed the nearest trash can lid and smashed it over Slade's head, pushing down and throwing Slade off balance. He then kicked the lid as hard as he could, aiming for dead center. Slade toppled over, falling face first in the asphalt.

Robin ran over his options. The list was short. _Run_ , he thought. As he turned to grab Raven and get out of here, he felt Slade grab his arm and wrench him roughly backwards. His back slammed into Slade and tried to use the opportunity to jam his foot into Slade's boot. Slade's steel-capped shoes prevented any damage. The shuffle grew desperate.

 _"It's not fully dark out yet, and this is a fairly crowded city,"_ Robin thought. Calling for help, yelling as loud as he could seemed to be his only option. He knew he'd regret it later, potentially hurting an innocent civilian in an effort to stop Slade from hurting Raven, but at least he could save her. Robin sucked in a deep breath as he felt a strange, cold sensation move up his torso. He felt Slade's hands on his throat and instead of sucking in one last, precious breath, he used the seconds he had left to scream.

"RUN! RAVEN RUN!"

Against his better judgement, he took his eyes off Raven for a moment -she looked frozen in fear, and likely had been the entirety of the brief altercation- to observe what was happening to his body. _What is it?_ He thought. A _blackness, a fog, an aura of some kind?_ The black energy enveloped his body. He felt the energy move him several yards away from Slade, and he was released. Slade was covered in it too. He seemed immobilized.

"I... I did that," Raven stuttered, in utter disbelief.

"Raven, we have to go!" Robin yelled. He grabbed her hand. Her eyes were still on Slade's immobile form. Robin grabbed Raven gently by the shoulder.

"Please, Raven, we have to go now. This man, he's dangerous, the most dangerous man you've ever met," he breathed. Raven seemed to snap out of it. They pushed past Slade and slide into Raven's car and drove away as fast as they could.

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Raven's POV

"Are you okay?" Raven asked Robin as she pushed the accelerator to the floor. She tried not to speed too much. She wanted as much distance between them and the man in the orange and black mask as possible. The last thing she needed was to get pulled over. Slade didn't seem like he'd be detered by the police in the least.

"Yeah," Robin replied. "Where can we go?" he asked. "Your apartment probably isn't safe. I know mine isn't, since Slade and I have history."

"You know him?" Raven asked, incredulous. How would Robin, a polite and professional dectective, know a psychopath like Slade- who she assumed was a contract killer of some kind? An assassin? She shook her head side to side slowly while she watched the road.

"Not that well," Robin said. He liked Raven, but he wasn't certain about how much information he should share just yet. "I sorta know him from work. All I know is that he's dangerous. Exceedingly so."

Suddenly it clicked for her. He was that detective Jason would whine about for hours, his coworker. He'd never mention a name, just that his old boss had a favorite and Jason wasn't it. Eventually, he confided in her. Told her everything. She never imagined anyone from Jason's past would show up here; he made it clear he had a clean break and no one even knew where he was. They were safe. Supposedly.

"You know him from your time with Batman." Raven whispered. "You're Robin. Like _the_ Robin."

Robin's eyes widened as his mouth dropped open, dumbfounded. No one had ever found him out. Disappointment flooded him. He had only spent a day in Jump City. He wanted more. But now his cover was blown.

"How did you know?" He asked. He didn't ask the more pressing questions on his mind. _Will you turn me in, will you blow my cover? Do you like me as much as I like you?_

"Jason might have told me some stuff, I put two and two together," she explained. "Your identity is safe with me. Especially after you risked your life for me."

"We're headed to my mother's." She replied. Her mother was a control freak extraordinare and fearmongerer. If there was one place that was safe, it would be there.

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A/N: Thanks to TheOtakuPrincess for reviewing! Yes, I do intend to have the other titans join the gang throughout the course of the fic. And thanks for noticing that Raven isn't exactly the same as she would be had she had her canon origins. I tried to think about what parts of her personality were innate and which were grilled into her with intense training/repression of her emotions. As she developes her powers I think we'll see more of that dry Raven we know and love :)


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Robin's POV

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The trip to Raven's mother's house was a long one, to say the least. She aparently lived well outside of town, past the outskirts. The land surrounding her house was empty for miles.

"We don't have a t.v, a phone, or internet," Raven said. Raven's mother Arella was truly living off the grid. Her mother had been overbearing and suspicious of anything and everything her whole life. Raven grew up resenting it, but no she was almost grateful.

Raven's phone buzzed. Jason's name flashed across the screen.

"Don't answer it," warned Robin. "In fact, you should break it in half and throw it out the window. There's no way Slade hasn't hacked that thing by now."

"But Jason's worried," Raven whined. Her screen lit up with a voicemail notification. She knew she should contact him. She had been gone for hours.

"I know." Robin said. "But if he's reasonable, he'll understand. I texted him after we were attacked. He _knows_ Slade's a good tracer, and he _knows_ he shouldn't be calling you."

"Do you think he's reasonable?" Raven asked. Sometimes she felt she hardly knew Jason. And who would know better than Robin, world's greatest detective? Or world's second greatest detective? She didn't know.

"Jason?" Robin asked. "Aren't you guys dating? Do you think he's reasonable?"

"Hmmm," was all Raven responded. This was such a personal conversation. It was bordering on the edge of uncomfortable. But things didn't tend to feel uncomfortable with Robin. He seemed familiar, somehow. A blush crept to her cheeks.

"Are you gonna throw it out the window?" Robin asked.

"No," Raven replied. She handed him her phone. Everything had it's place. "Please break this, I'm not strong enough. Besides, that's littering."

Robin grinned as he slid her phone out of it's protective case and cracked it against his knee. He made sure to take out the battery and seperate it from the shell of the phone. At the next rest stop, Raven threw her and Robin's broken phones in the trash.

An hour and a half later, Raven introduced Robin to her mother. Arella was tall, taller than Raven, and had long purple hair, which shocked Robin a bit. Did Raven dye hers to look like her mother? It didn't seem likely. Hadn't he picked up on some resentment there? Also, she didn't seem at all surprised about Raven's markings. Robin's intuition kicked in- she knew.

"She must like you," Arella said. "She's never brought a boy home before."

Raven blushed as Robin's ears turned red.

"Uh, mom, it's not like that, I told you what was up when I called you from Robin's office earlier..."

"I know, sweetie," she said. She ruffled Raven's hair and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "I just like to have fun." She turned and walked into the house.

"That's not my mother," Raven said to Robin through the side of her mouth in a joking tone.

Robin breathed a sigh of relief- whatever these markings were, Arella knew about them, and seemed unworried. That meant that the only mystery Robin had to solve was the question of Slade's employer. Who would order a hit on Raven? Why?

"Would you like some coffee? Hot cocoa? Tea? Water?" Raven's mother asked. Robin shook his head and Raven responded with hot green tea. Arella smiled. "That's my girl," she said.

"So, about these markings..." Arella started while reaching high in the cabinet for sugar. "They're really quite easy to explain."

"Oh, really," Raven replied sarcastically.

"Yes, _really_ ," Arella snapped back. Robin noted the sharp change of tone. "You're half demon." She crossed her arms haughtily.

Raven was dumbfounded. "Oh, is that all?" She squeaked.

"Oh, sweetheart," Arella replied. She pulled Raven into a hug. "I was going to tell you when you were older. Or maybe I wasn't. I don't know. You just seemed so happy," she said.

"What do the markings mean?" Raven asked. She tried to keep a bitter edge out of her tone. _How could my mother keep this from me,_ she thought.

"I'm not really sure," Arella replied. "I might have know, once." She sipped her tea.

"Mom, I swear to god, you better start getting more specific or I'll-" Arella interrupted Raven with a wave of her hand.

"I... I had a bad start in life. I thought I had found a family in the cult Trigon's Chosen. I was selected to be his bride. I didn't know what any of it meant, I mean, the devil? All I knew is that I had no where to go and they wanted me to stay." She explained. "After your conception, it became clear that I was in over my head. It was true- demons walk the earth. They had power and influence. And I wanted out."

"How'd you get out?" Robin asked. He hoped he hadn't been intruding on what was obviously a very personal story, but it might be pertinent to the case.

"Azar, the leader of Azarath, found us. She was a specialist in saving children and mothers of cults such as these. She was delighted she found us," Arella said.

"Azarath?" Raven asked. "Where's that?"

Arella shrugged. "In another dimension. I don't really know how to explain it more than that."

Raven nodded, still not quite wrapping her head around the whole situation.

"Why aren't you both there now? Why wasn't Raven raised there?" Robin asked. Raven wasn't surprised. She knew his shrewd mind would catch anything abnormal. As though there were anything in this conversation _wasn't_ abnormal, that is.

"The children on Azarath often have... special powers. They're put through rigorous training and are taught to repress their feelings. I just wanted Raven to grow up... normal." Arella finished. She looked sad. _She wanted Raven to have the childhood she never had,_ Robin thought.

"Then why did we live out in the middle of nowhere? Why wasn't I allowed to leave the house, or have friends, or go to school?" Raven demanded.

Tears welled in Arella's eyes before she quickly wiped them away. "Surely living on Earth, where you're from, is better than some strange dimension? Surely you would have been happier near your own people, free to do as you like instead of years, decades in training... free to feel what you want to feel?" She asked.

Raven closed her eyes. She couldn't think of what might have been. Sure, she might have to deal with an alternative upbringing on Azarath, but she would have at least had _friends_.

"It's too late to dwell on the past," Raven finished. "Can you help us with the markings or not?"

"I'm sorry, I don't know what they mean." Arella replied. "I figured that whatever might develop with you would have happened before you turned into a woman. I guess I was wrong." Arella looked to the floor. "I wish I knew how to contact Azar."

"It's alright mom." Raven replied. She pulled her into a tight hug.

"You must be beat," Arella said after she pulled back. "Robin, please feel free to stay in our guest bedroom."

Some hours later, after her mother had long gone to bed, Raven knocked gently on Robin's bedroom door. Robin answered in gray sweatpants Arella had loaned him, left by a friend of hers some months ago.

"Raven," Robin said. "Uh, come in."

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry for dragging you into this mess," she explained. "And I wish we had more answers... And if you wanna get out, I totally understand."

"Raven, I..." Robin wasn't sure what to say. _Of course_ he wasn't getting out. It was just getting interesting. "I'm staying with you until the end." He said simply.

Raven smiled. "That might be sooner than you think."

Robin smiled back. "Anything for a friend."

"So..." Raven continued. "Did you have any leads?"

"Yeah," Robin replied. "I remember the last time I talked to Bat- I, mean, my old boss- he said I should watch out for Trigon's Chosen in Jump City. He said that if I ran into them the Doom Patrol had some experience with the cult and that I should contact one of them if out paths cross. Luckily, a member of theirs just split and moved here."

"That's convenient." Raven replied, surprised. "Where can we find this person?"

"Jump City Circus," Robin replied. "At the fairgrounds. We can go there first thing in the morning."

Raven yawned. "Sounds good, wonder boy. Sweet dreams," she got off his bed and walked to the door.

"Sweet dreams," Robin replied, watching Raven's retreating figure as she slipped into her bedroom and shut the door.


End file.
